After a record breaking year of snowfall, glacier skiing and riding returns on Blackcomb’s Horstman Glacier this Saturday June 19th with some of the best summer skiing and riding conditions in years.

“It’s looking like an amazing start to the summer season,” says Adam Francis, Whistler Blackcomb’s Summer Glacier Operations Supervisor. “With the incredible amount of snow we received this year, guests will be able to enjoy some of the best summer glacier conditions in recent years.”

Grooming and parks crews have been hard at work building a summer mini pipe under the Glacier Express chair. The pipe construction and finishing touches will be completed shortly and the official opening date will be posted on whistlerblackcomb.com. When the pipe officially opens it will be hike accessible in order allow easy access and multiple runs for guests. As the build-out continues, the bottom of Showcase T-Bar will become jib central with features for both beginner and intermediate skiers and riders. Regular skiing and riding lanes will also be open to the public daily.

Horstman Glacier summer park June 19thPhoto: Dano Pendygrasse

Summer glacier camps also hit Blackcomb Mountain, bringing in the hottest professional athletes to coach aspiring skiers and riders. Not missing out on the action, ski and snowboard magazines and professional film crews also frequent the Glacier to check out the scene. This year is no different, with Momentum Ski Camps and Camp of Champions returning for another season with the likes of guest coaches: gold medal winner Alex Bilodeau and snowboard pro Chris Dufficy. Other notable coaches include skiers Sarah Burke, TJ Schiller, Mike Riddle, Rory Bushfield, Corey Vanular, and Ian Cosco, as well as snowboarders TJ Schneider, Rube Goldberg, Beau Bishop, Verra Janssen, Andrew Burns and many more.

Access to the Horstman Glacier will start at the base of Blackcomb Mountain via the Wizard Express and Solar Coaster to the Rendezvous. Guests will then take a shuttle bus to the 7th Heaven Express Chair, which will bring them to the top of the Glacier. Lift access to the glacier is via Horstman and Showcase T-bars. Meanwhile, Horstman Hut will be open to the public, offering patio BBQs and light refreshments with a sunny outdoor patio overlooking stunning views of neighbouring Whistler Mountain and the surrounding Coast Mountain range.

General public access from the valley runs 10am-2pm for sightseers and 11am-1:30pm for skiers and riders. Glacier skiing is available from 12pm-3pm. Glacier skiing runs until July 25 and terrain park features will be available as long as snow pack and weather allows.

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Up to 30cm (a foot) of new snow so far today around Queenstown's ski areas. Up to 50cm (20 inches) of fresh snow in the Alps. Second Californian ski area to open in July. Cairngorm in Scotland wraps up seven month season. Argentina's resort start to open and more snow in Chile and South Africa.

he summertime event was held in the Camp of Champions park on the Blackcomb glacier and featured a massive 75-foot gap jump. The Ante Up hosted 40 riders in a big air format who were all going for a piece of the $50,000 prize purse and 850 TTR ranking points

Snowboard Guide rating 10 out of 10
“Major riding for all styles and all levels, especially backcountry and amazing park and pipes.But take note: lift queues can be very long, especially at Easter and Christmas. Avoid major holidays if an option and Sundays are quieter than Saturdays, especially on Blackcomb. Great summer riding on Blackcomb Glacier.”